Nothing we see or hear is perfect. But right there in the imperfection is perfect reality.

The basic idea of Zen is to come in touch with the inner workings of our being, and to do this in the most direct way possible, without resorting to anything external or superadded.

Whatever we do, we should see ourselves. Reading books doesn't show us our defilements. Watch yourself. Watch your mind.

Insight knowledge comes from direct experience, not from intellectual understanding.

Ethical conduct is not a constraint upon our freedom but a condition of our freedom.

All beings by nature are Buddha, as ice by nature is water. Apart from water there is no ice; apart from beings, no Buddha.

When we recognize that our thoughts are just thoughts, we can choose whether or not to follow them.

Forgiveness is giving up all hope for a better past.

Personal experience is everything in Zen. No ideas are intelligible to those who have no backing of experience.

The ultimate source of a happy life is warm-heartedness. This means extending to others the kind of concern we have for ourselves.

Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities.

The greatest obstacle to connecting with our joy is resentment.

The Buddha's teaching is a teaching of self-reliance, of being one's own master, one's own refuge.

Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.

Work diligently. Diligently. Work patiently and persistently. Patiently and persistently. And you're bound to be successful. Bound to be successful.

Karma is not fate but the law of moral causation, showing us that we are the architects of our own destiny.

Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.

Compassion is not mere sentiment but a powerful force that can transform both ourselves and others.

The essence of meditation is not something complicated or exotic. It is simply taking a break from our habitual patterns.

The root of all suffering is ignorance. The antidote to ignorance is wisdom that realizes emptiness.

If you want to know your past life, look at your present condition. If you want to know your future life, look at your present actions.

Though the view should be as vast as the sky, keep your conduct as fine as barley flour.

To be attached to a thing means that mind and the thing meet and grow into each other.

Compassion is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength.

Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.

The mind of the past is ungraspable; the mind of the future is ungraspable; the mind of the present is ungraspable.

Hasten slowly and you will soon arrive.

The rising and falling of the abdomen is not the main object. The main object is to develop mindfulness, concentration, and insight.

The obstacle is the path.

The Buddha's path is not about becoming somebody different but about becoming more and more who you really are.

Wisdom arises when you see the true characteristics of phenomena through direct experience.